Hare Krishna Centre celebrates its first anniversary
It was a weekend of festivities at ISKON's Hare Krishna Centre in Christchurch early this month, as it celebrated its first anniversary after the earthquake rebuild. Starting with Gaura Purnima on March 2, the festivities carried on the next two days with Ashraya Kirtan and a special screening of, Hare Krishna! The Film, at Hoyts Riccarton.
Notably, Gaura Purnima is a festival celebrating the birth of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He appeared in 1486 in Mayapur, West Bengal. The celebrations at the centre included Mangala aarti, Gaura aarti, and a vegetarian feast.
Meanwhile, Ashraya Kirtan – the two-day event included harinam kirtan through the city, an 8-hour kirtan festival, a puspa (flower) abhiseka, and distribution of prasadam.
The highlight of the event was screening of Hare Krishna! The Film, which the organisers explained as “true story of an unexpected, prolific, and controversial revolutionary. Using never-before-seen archival materials, Prabhupada’s [an unassuming 70-year-old Swami from India, who arrived in New York in 1965 and started the Hare Krishna movement] own recorded words, and interviews with his early followers, the film takes the audience behind-the-scenes of a cultural movement born in the artistic and intellectual scene of New York’s Bowery, the hippie mecca of Haight Ashbury, and the Beatle mania of London, to meet the Swami who started it all”.
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History of Hare Krishna movement in the Garden City The Hare Krishna movement was brought to Christchurch around 1972, with the first temple constructed on Waltham Road in 1973. Later, the temple was moved to a house in Worcester Street, Linwood, before moving to a larger property at 30 Latimer Square in 1979. Then in 1986, the present site – at 83 Bealey Avenue, became the Hare Krishna Centre's permanent home. Unfortunately, the Centre suffered extensive damage during the September 4, 2010, Earthquake, but engineering inspections determined that the building could be repaired. A double whammy struck before any work could commence, on February 22, 2011, as another Earthquake struck, completely destroying the building and everything inside. Then, the Christchurch Hare Krishna devotees relocated their Sunday community gathering to a rented hall in Ferrymead, and also ran its HareKrishna – Food for Life programme, at Christchurch's New Brighton Clock Tower every Saturday. Finally, in March last year, the new building's construction was complete and opened its door to the public. |
It was a weekend of festivities at ISKON's Hare Krishna Centre in Christchurch early this month, as it celebrated its first anniversary after the earthquake rebuild. Starting with Gaura Purnima on March 2, the festivities carried on the next two days with Ashraya Kirtan and a special screening of,...
It was a weekend of festivities at ISKON's Hare Krishna Centre in Christchurch early this month, as it celebrated its first anniversary after the earthquake rebuild. Starting with Gaura Purnima on March 2, the festivities carried on the next two days with Ashraya Kirtan and a special screening of, Hare Krishna! The Film, at Hoyts Riccarton.
Notably, Gaura Purnima is a festival celebrating the birth of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He appeared in 1486 in Mayapur, West Bengal. The celebrations at the centre included Mangala aarti, Gaura aarti, and a vegetarian feast.
Meanwhile, Ashraya Kirtan – the two-day event included harinam kirtan through the city, an 8-hour kirtan festival, a puspa (flower) abhiseka, and distribution of prasadam.
The highlight of the event was screening of Hare Krishna! The Film, which the organisers explained as “true story of an unexpected, prolific, and controversial revolutionary. Using never-before-seen archival materials, Prabhupada’s [an unassuming 70-year-old Swami from India, who arrived in New York in 1965 and started the Hare Krishna movement] own recorded words, and interviews with his early followers, the film takes the audience behind-the-scenes of a cultural movement born in the artistic and intellectual scene of New York’s Bowery, the hippie mecca of Haight Ashbury, and the Beatle mania of London, to meet the Swami who started it all”.
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History of Hare Krishna movement in the Garden City The Hare Krishna movement was brought to Christchurch around 1972, with the first temple constructed on Waltham Road in 1973. Later, the temple was moved to a house in Worcester Street, Linwood, before moving to a larger property at 30 Latimer Square in 1979. Then in 1986, the present site – at 83 Bealey Avenue, became the Hare Krishna Centre's permanent home. Unfortunately, the Centre suffered extensive damage during the September 4, 2010, Earthquake, but engineering inspections determined that the building could be repaired. A double whammy struck before any work could commence, on February 22, 2011, as another Earthquake struck, completely destroying the building and everything inside. Then, the Christchurch Hare Krishna devotees relocated their Sunday community gathering to a rented hall in Ferrymead, and also ran its HareKrishna – Food for Life programme, at Christchurch's New Brighton Clock Tower every Saturday. Finally, in March last year, the new building's construction was complete and opened its door to the public. |
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